The color of the world changed.
The instant Yoon Taesung stepped through the portal, the air turned heavy—thick with copper and ash. Dongmyo Station was still recognizable, but warped. Subway signs twisted like melted plastic, rusted trains lodged in cracked tunnels like dead serpents. Graffiti peeled from walls as if afraid to remain here.
A low hum echoed in the dark. It wasn't mechanical.
It was alive.
> [You have entered a Class C Rift.]
[Welcome to the Predator's Den.]
Taesung's boots crunched on broken glass and bone. Ahead, the tunnel curved downward into blackness.
He checked the system.
> [Points: 1,100]
[Shop Available.]
A single thought was enough to open the store. It expanded like a projection in front of him—clean, sterile text overlaid in his vision.
– System Shop –
Available Items:
• [Rustfang Dagger] – 500 Points
• [Lurker's Garb] – 800 Points
• [Fleshthread Bandages] – 200 Points
• [Wraithsteel Blade] – 1,000 Points
• [Temporary Skill: Shadow Coil] – 1,200 Points
His eyes settled on the Wraithsteel Blade.
> [Wraithsteel Blade]
Forged from a soul-hardened alloy.
Cuts clean through corrupted flesh.
Light, fast, lethal.
He purchased it.
The blade materialized in a hiss of blue light—sleek, matte black steel with a faint glow along the edge. No runes. No decoration. Pure killing.
"Let's see how it does."
He didn't wait long.
Further in, the tunnel opened into a wide concourse where the lights flickered like dying fireflies. That's where he found them.
Three beasts.
Misshapen, mutated dogs—each one the size of a car. Fur matted with bile, eyes glowing like coals.
One sniffed the air.
Then they charged.
Taesung didn't move. Not until they were close. Then—
Crack.
He sidestepped and drove the blade clean through the first one's skull.
Its momentum collapsed instantly, the corpse skidding past him.
The other two split—one leaped high, the other low.
He rolled forward, avoiding the upper strike, spun mid-roll, and sliced low. The Wraithsteel sang.
Second beast—dead before it landed.
The third hesitated.
Too late.
Taesung darted forward, not with speed but with precision. His blade flicked up once, twice.
One cut severed the tendons.
The second pierced the heart.
Blood steamed on the floor.
> [You have gained 90 Points.]
[Total Points: 190]
[Combat Proficiency Increased.]
He exhaled. The weapon felt like an extension of thought.
No wasted movement. No mercy.
Further down the corridor, a wide iron gate loomed, half-melted, leading deeper into the heart of the Rift. That was where the real threat waited. The system hadn't mentioned a boss yet—but he could feel it.
A shift in pressure.
Like something massive exhaled from behind stone.
And he felt it.
A strong presence.